Africa

Lord Chidgey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of their response to the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee report on the United Kingdom’s response to extremism and instability in North and West Africa (7th Report, Session 2013–14, HC 86–I), how they intend to use the new Conflict, Stability and Security Fund to improve their information-gathering resources in that area.
	To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to use the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund to provide increased counter-terrorism support to North and West African regional governments; and whether they plan to use that Fund to increase their information-gathering and early warning capabilities in those countries in the region which they have assessed present less of a threat to the United Kingdom.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The Conflict, Stability and Security Fund is one part of a broader approach to UK prioritisation in fragile states, governed by the National Security Council. With the National Security Council at the core, the Government has been making strategic decisions for the most effective use of limited departmental resources. The resource allocation process is still ongoing. Once this is concluded, Parliament will be informed of the allocations outcomes, and I will ensure that the Noble Lord is provided with this information.

Alcoholic Drinks: Labelling

Lord Rennard: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to require that the calorie content of alcoholic drinks is displayed on bottles and containers.

Earl Howe: Energy labelling of alcoholic drinks is regulated by the European Union. The EU Food Information for Consumers Regulation allows voluntary energy labelling for alcoholic drinks pending a European Commission report on nutrition labelling and ingredient listing on alcoholic drinks, which we expect in the New Year. The Government supports mandatory energy declarations, and we will continue to press for this to be included in any new EU legislative proposals.

Arrest Warrants

Lord Inglewood: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the event of the United Kingdom not opting back into the provisions of the European Arrest Warrant, which member states still have on their statute books the legislation necessary to revert to the Council of Europe Convention on Extradition 1957.

Lord Bates: All EU member states have ratified the 1957 Council of Europe Convention on Extradition (ECE). Consequently, they will all have legislation that allows them to operate the ECE with other ECE signatories who do not use the Arrest Warrant. However, a number of EU member states have subsequently passed specific legislation to implement the Arrest Warrant and would need to pass new domestic legislation in order to allow them to operate the ECE with the UK. In some cases, this could be a lengthy process. For example, we believe that it would take the Netherlands at least a year to pass the necessary legislation and during this time they would not be able to issue extradition requests to the UK, or respond to UK extradition requests. Effectively, this would make both countries a safe haven for each others’ criminals.
	Under the 1957 European Convention on Extradition, 22 Member States may also refuse to extradite its own nationals which means that some people may never face justice. In non-European Arrest Warrant cases, the following EU Member States have an absolute bar on extraditing their own nationals to the UK:
	AustriaBelgiumCzech RepublicFinland FranceGermanyGreeceLatviaLuxembourgSlovakiaSloveniaSpainSweden
	A further nine have made declarations to the 1957 European Convention on Extradition to the effect that they will not extradite their own nationals:
	BulgariaCroatiaCyprusEstoniaHungaryLithuaniaPolandPortugalRomania

Asylum

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consideration they have given to granting leave to remain in the United Kingdom to asylum applicants from Syria and Iraq.

Lord Bates: The Government takes its international responsibilities very seriously and will always grant protection to those in genuine need. All asylum applications, including those from citizens of Iraq and Syria, are considered on a case-by-case basis. This is done in accordance with our international obligations and against the background of the latest available country of origin information drawn from a wide range of well-recognised sources.

Asylum: Children in Care

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many unaccompanied asylum-seeking children are currently being looked after by local authorities; and how many are being supported after the age of 18 under leaving care legislation.

Lord Nash: The numbers of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC) looked after by each local authority in England at 31 March 2013 are published in Table LAA4 of the ‘Children looked after in England’ statistical first release.
	The latest available figures (for 31 March 2014) are currently being prepared and will be published in December 2014.
	The Department for Education collects information on care leavers aged 19 years old who were looked after aged 16 years old. The number of UASC who were care leavers aged 19 in the year ending 31 March 2013 is published in Table F1 of the Statistical first release.
	[1]
	www.gov.uk/government/statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoption

Bangladesh

Lord Ahmed: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the effect on political stability in Bangladesh of the death sentence passed by the International Crimes Tribunal in Bangladesh on two opposition politicians there; what representations they have made to the government of Bangladesh about the sentence; and whether they will make representations about the power of the International Crimes Tribunal in Bangladesh to pass death sentences.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The UK supports Bangladesh’s efforts to bring to justice those accused of atrocities committed during the 1971 War of Independence. However we have also made clear that it is essential that the International Crimes Tribunal meet international fair trials standards, including during Bangladesh’s 2nd Universal Periodic Review at the UN Human Rights Council on 29 April 2013. We have also made clear to the Government of Bangladesh our strong opposition to the use of the death penalty in all circumstances.
	Our High Commissioner to Bangladesh, Robert Gibson, along with other EU Heads of Mission resident in Bangladesh, signed a joint public letter on 9 October reiterating our position on the death penalty, and calling on Bangladesh to abolish the practice. Our High Commissioner has also raised the most recent judgements with senior members of the Government of Bangladesh and the Awami League. We will continue to remind the Government of Bangladesh of our opposition to the use of the death penalty in any circumstances, at every suitable opportunity.
	We will continue to monitor political stability in Bangladesh.

Cancer

Lord Colwyn: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of emerging immuno-oncology treatments and their impact on patient survival and the design of National Health Service cancer services.

Earl Howe: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) provides advice to the National Health Service on the clinical and cost-effectiveness of drugs and treatments. We understand that at least one immuno-oncology treatment, sipuleucel-T for prostate cancer, is currently being appraised by NICE. Further information is available at:
	www.nice.org.uk/guidance/indevelopment/GID-TAG346

Cancer

Lord Colwyn: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the relationship between the quality of survival experienced by National Health Service cancer patients and the rates of length of survival of such patients.

Earl Howe: We know that more people are living with and beyond cancer and we recognise that a number of those people will have a reduced quality of life as a consequence of their cancer or its treatment.
	There are a number of pieces of work set up to address those problems. Macmillan Cancer Support published the first stage of its ‘Routes from Diagnosis’ work earlier this year, developed in conjunction with Public Health England and Monitor Deloitte. In addition,
	the national cancer patient experience survey and a programme of tumour specific patient reported outcome surveys are giving us valuable insight directly from people affected by cancer.
	Based on the work of the National Cancer Survivorship Initiative, there is a current programme of work being delivered by NHS England in collaboration with Macmillan Cancer Support to embed a number of these priorities into mainstream commissioning. This is formally supported by reference to the Cancer Recovery Package in the recently published Five Year Forward View.

Cancer: Drugs

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to make new cancer drugs more accessible.

Earl Howe: Patients have the right to cancer drugs and treatments that have been recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence technology appraisal guidance for use in the National Health Service, where their doctor believes they are clinically appropriate.
	We announced in August that the Cancer Drugs Fund would be increased to £280 million in both 2014-15 and 2015-16. Since October 2010, over 55,000 cancer patients in England have benefited from the Fund and this extra funding is helping to ensure that patients continue to receive the effective cancer drugs which are right for them.
	We have launched an Early Access to Medicines Scheme to give patients with life threatening or seriously debilitating conditions access to medicines that do not yet have a marketing authorisation when there is a clear unmet medical need. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency awarded the first promising innovative medicine designation for a cell therapy product for the treatment of cancer on 8 September 2014.
	In addition, the National Health Service and its partners have begun a ground-breaking new project which will sequence 100,000 whole human genomes of patients with cancer or a rare disease by the end of 2017. This will lead to faster diagnosis and better targeting of treatments.

Child Sexual Abuse Independent Panel Inquiry

Lord Palmer: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what remuneration the Lord Mayor of London, Fiona Woolf, received for being head of their child sexual abuse panel inquiry prior to her resignation.

Lord Bates: Fiona Woolf has not requested, nor will receive, any remuneration for her time spent as head of the Independent Panel Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse.

Children: Disadvantaged

Lord Kirkwood of Kirkhope: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what studies they have made of best practice existing in other countries in the provision of family support for children from low income families during school holidays.

Lord Nash: There is no Government research assessing the provision of family support for children from low income families in other countries.
	The Child Poverty Strategy, published in June 2014, outlined the Government’s actions to tackle child poverty and improve the living standards of poor children.
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/child-poverty-strategy-2014-to-2017

Children: Nutrition

Lord Kirkwood of Kirkhope: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what arrangements they are making to provide adequate nutrition for children of school age during long school holidays.

Lord Nash: The Child Poverty Strategy, published in June 2014, outlined the Government’s actions to tackle child poverty and improve the living standards of poor children.[1]
	In relation to nutrition, the Government has introduced Healthy Start Vouchers for young children in low-income families, free school meals for all infant school pupils, and breakfast clubs in deprived areas. In addition, children aged four to six attending state schools continue to be entitled to receive a free piece of fruit or vegetable each school day.
	Universal infant free school meals will ensure that up to 1.5 million additional pupils are being offered a free nutritious meal every school day, helping them to do better in school, eat healthily and saving families up to £400 a year.
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/child-poverty-strategy-2014-to-2017

Children: Nutrition

Lord Kirkwood of Kirkhope: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have carried out any research to ascertain the physical and mental effects on the ability of children from low income households to learn caused by poor nutrition during long school holidays.

Lord Nash: The Child Poverty Strategy, published in June 2014, outlined the Government’s actions to tackle child poverty and improve the living standards of poor children.[1]
	The Government has made no specific assessment of the effects on child nutrition in low income households during school holidays.
	Universal infant free school meals will ensure that up to 1.5 million additional pupils are being offered a free nutritious meal every school day, helping them to do better in school, eat healthily and saving families up to £400 a year.
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/child-poverty-strategy-2014-to-2017

Children: Nutrition

Lord Kirkwood of Kirkhope: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their estimate of the cost to the Exchequer of providing adequate nutrition for children of school age during long school holidays.

Lord Nash: The Child Poverty Strategy, published in June 2014, outlined the Government’s actions to tackle child poverty and improve the living standards of poor children. [1]
	The Government has not made an estimate of the costs to the Exchequer of providing adequate nutrition for children for children of school age during the school holidays.
	Universal infant free school meals will ensure that up to 1.5 million additional pupils are being offered a free nutritious meal every school day, helping them to do better in school, eat healthily and saving families up to £400 a year.
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/child-poverty-strategy-2014-to-2017

Children: Nutrition

Lord Kirkwood of Kirkhope: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to support piloting child meal provision and enrichment programmes targeted on areas with high percentages of children receiving free school meals.

Lord Nash: The Child Poverty Strategy, published in June 2014, outlined the Government’s actions to tackle child poverty and improve the living standards of poor children.[1]
	We are working with the charity ‘Magic Breakfast’ to help over 180 schools in some of the most deprived communities to set up breakfast provision to ensure that the children attending those schools start the day with a healthy breakfast as fuel for learning.
	Universal infant free school meals will ensure that up to 1.5 million additional pupils are being offered a free nutritious meal every school day, helping them to do better in school, eat healthily and saving families up to £400 a year.
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/child-poverty-strategy-2014-to-2017

Council of Europe

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the annual United Kingdom contribution to the Council of Europe, including the costs of the European Court of Human Rights; and how they are financed.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The Council of Europe's budget for 2014 is €402,694,300, financed by member states according to an agreed formula based on population and gross domestic product. The UK’s contribution for 2014 is €31,086,578. The European Court of Human Rights is financed from this overall budget. For 2014 the Court budget was €67,650,400.

Counter-terrorism

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government which projects and organisations the Home Office’s Prevent Programme has funded since June 2011 in order to protect children from extremism and radicalisation.

Lord Bates: Since June 2011 the Home Office has funded over 180 Prevent projects in priority areas. We do not comment on individual projects, but this includes projects with youth outreach groups, parents, families, and community groups, to protect children from extremism and radicalisation. Around a third of these projects have focused on schools and supplementary schools, and there are currently seven local authorities who have created specific posts dedicated to working with schools.

Credit: Interest Rates

Lord Davies of Stamford: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the total value of pay day loans extended in the United Kingdom over the last 12 months for which data are available.
	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the proportion of pay day loans extended in the United Kingdom in the last 12 months for which data are available which were entirely repaid within (1) a month, and (2) a year, of receipt of funds by the relevant borrower.
	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the (1) highest, (2) lowest, and (3) average, cost of (a) interest charges, (b) penalty interest and charges, and (c) other charges, fees and commissions, borne by borrowers of pay day loans, as a percentage of the funds drawn down by those borrowers, over the last 12 months for which data are available.

Lord Deighton: The Government has made no public assessment of these figures.
	Financial Conduct Authority analysis estimates that in 2013, 1.6 million customers took out 10 million payday loans, with a total value of £2.5bn.
	FCA analysis of payday loans funded in 2013 from a sample of lenders indicates that 56% of these loans were entirely repaid (with no unpaid debt recorded) within 31 days of receipt of funds, and 76% within 365 days.
	Competition and Markets Authority analysis of the prices of payday products shows a range in interest rates and finance charges from £20 to £36 per £100 per month, for 1 month loans. In addition to this some firms charge fees irrespective of loan size of up to £20. Penalty charges of up to £30 are levied on the first day after a payment is missed and, in addition to this some lenders charge over £40 if a customer has not repaid after a longer time period.
	The FCA has now published final rules on its cap on the cost of payday loans. This cap will be in place by 2 January 2015.

Criminal Proceedings: Autism

Baroness Uddin: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they currently provide training to staff in the criminal justice system who engage with people with autism spectrum disorder; and, if not, whether they have any plans to do so.

Lord Faulks: In March 2010 the Department of Health published the three year cross-Government strategy, Fulfilling and rewarding lives: the strategy for adults with autism in England. The strategy was updated in April 2014 and the Ministry of Justice is one of the signatories. As a result, a variety of different pieces of online training guidance were published for those delivering public services in order to meet the needs of those with autism. The criminal justice system has benefited from this guidance and training, which continues to be available. The guidance can be accessed at the following web address: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/autism-training-resources
	A number of charities have developed guidance on Autism specifically for criminal justice professionals, and, the MoJ provides disability and diversity guidance and training, including on learning disabilities that staff can access.

Cybercrime

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment have they made of the robustness of cyber security in the United Kingdom.

Lord Wallace of Saltaire: The UK Cyber Security Strategy, published in November 2011, sets out how the UK will support economic prosperity, protect national security and safeguard the public’s way of life, working with partners to strengthen UK cyber security.
	The Government has put in place a National Cyber Security Programme backed up by £860 million of Government investment to 2016 to help meet the objectives of the strategy and transform the UK’s approach to cyber security.
	Government reports annually to Parliament on progress in delivering its Cyber Security Strategy. The latest report is available here -
	https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/uk-cyber-security-strategy-statement-on-progress- 2-years-on.
	We will be reporting on progress again by the end of this year.

Cyprus

Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 21 October (HL2010), what ongoing assessment they have made of the status of, and variations in, the human rights of Turkish-Cypriots since the 1960 Treaty of Guarantee.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We maintain an interest in the human rights situation in Cyprus. Especially since the start of intercommunal tensions, the human rights of Cypriots of both communities have been affected. With regards to Turkish Cypriots, at Cyprus’ recent Universal Periodic Review at the UN Human Rights Council, the UK suggested that measures should be taken to enable them to participate effectively in cultural, social and economic life and public affairs. We recognise that the political situation has also given rise to human rights challenges for Greek Cypriots and for religious minorities on the island.
	The most recent “Report of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on the question of human rights in Cyprus” highlights a number of positive developments, as well as ongoing concerns. The UN notes that the persisting division of the island remains an obstacle to the full enjoyment of human rights by all Cypriots. The report concludes that the human rights situation in Cyprus would be greatly improved by the achievement of a comprehensive settlement. The Government shares this assessment.

Cyprus

Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 21 October (HL2011), what is the basis for their “genuine hope for a lasting settlement” in Cyprus; and what degree of resolution they consider the United Nations talks process to have achieved since 1975.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The two communities resumed their negotiations on 11 February 2014. The Joint Declaration contains an agreed set of parameters which give clear direction to the negotiators and the leaders. Talks have made progress since then, ordinary citizens on both sides of the Green Line are engaged, and the international community is supportive. There is also an improved appreciation, in Cyprus and in Turkey, of the political, economic, and security benefits of a settlement. The leaders of the two communities, Mr Anastasiades and Mr Eroglu, have repeatedly confirmed their wish to reunify Cyprus.
	The UN-facilitated talks have not yet achieved the ultimate goal of a comprehensive settlement. We are encouraging the communities to maintain their dialogue, so that the UN can continue supporting the Cypriots’ desire to reunify their shared island.

Cyprus

Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 21 October (HL2011), what tangible support for Turkish-Cypriots they have provided since the Greek-Cypriots’ rejection of the 2004 Annan Plan and the Republic of Cyprus' admittance to the European Union.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: I refer the noble Lord to the response the Commercial Secretary to the Treasury, the noble Lord Deighton, gave on 7 January 2014 to the noble Lord Sharkey, Official Report, column WA251-WA252.
	Since 2004 the Government has funded projects for the Turkish Cypriot community worth a total of approximately £4.2m. These projects have accompanied a sizeable EU aid programme, and have helped prepare the Turkish Cypriots to reach and implement a sustainable and comprehensive settlement in Cyprus.

Cyprus

Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 24 October (HL2012), what assessment they have made of the impact the public support for the Greek-Cypriot case by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has had on (1) the general perception of their policy on Cyprus, and (2) public confidence in their stated Northern Ireland policy.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We have made no such assessments. Further to my previous reply on 24 October 2014, Official Report, column WA106, the Government’s policy with regards to a comprehensive settlement in Cyprus has not changed.

Detainees: Young People

Lord Beecham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to require children over the age of 16 but below the age of 18 detained for questioning to be transferred from police custody to local authority care overnight; and if so, when.

Lord Bates: The Government is committed to ensuring that young people are protected and treated appropriately while in police custody. Subsequent to making the changes in PACE Codes of Practice C and H, the Government launched an internal review into the outstanding primary provisions in PACE that continue to treat 17 year olds as adults. The Home Office has agreed PACE needs to be amended so that there is consistency in all the provisions that relate to the treatment of 17 year olds, thereby ensuring that they are treated as children.
	The Third Reading of the Criminal Justice and Courts Bill on 10 November presented the Government with an opportunity to make a partial change to the current provisions in PACE, specifically in respect to Part IV of PACE, relating to police detention. By amending the definition of ‘arrested juvenile’ in section 37(15) from ‘under the age of 17’ to ‘under the age of 18’, it will require the police to transfer 17 year olds to local accommodation following charge and the refusal of bail. The effect of this amendment will be reflected in future guidance and training. This will make it is absolutely clear to practitioners and the public that 17 year olds will be treated as children by the police under Part IV of PACE. It will ensure that the police transfer 17 year olds to local authority accommodation overnight in circumstances where they have been denied bail.

Detainees: Young People

Lord Beecham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress has been made to redraft the code of practice under the Police and Crime Evidence Act 1984 concerning the detention of teenagers.

Lord Bates: In October 2013 the Government made changes to the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE) Codes of Practice C and H to require the police, as a matter of course, to provide 17 year olds with appropriate adult support and to inform a person responsible for their welfare of their detention. This made the position for 17 year olds consistent with that of 10 to 16 year olds.
	The Government is committed to ensuring that young people are protected and treated appropriately while in police custody. Subsequent to making the changes in PACE Codes of Practice C and H, the Government launched an internal review into the outstanding primary provisions in PACE that continue to treat 17 year olds as adults. The Home Office has agreed PACE needs to be amended so that there is consistency in all the provisions that relate to the treatment of 17 year olds, thereby ensuring that they are treated as children.
	The Third Reading of the Criminal Justice and Courts Bill on 10 November presented the Government with an opportunity to make a partial change to the current provisions in PACE, specifically in respect to Part IV of PACE, relating to police detention. By amending the definition of ‘arrested juvenile’ in section 37(15) from ‘under the age of 17’ to ‘under the age of 18’, it will require the police to transfer 17 year olds to local accommodation following charge and the refusal of bail. The effect of this amendment will be
	reflected in future guidance and training. This will make it is absolutely clear to practitioners and the public that 17 year olds will be treated as children by the police under Part IV of PACE. It will ensure that the police transfer 17 year olds to local authority accommodation overnight in circumstances where they have been denied bail.

Ebola

Lord Moonie: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the strain of the ebola virus responsible for the recent outbreak, and whether it is a novel mutated strain of the virus.

Earl Howe: The current Ebola outbreak in West Africa is caused by Ebola Virus (EBOV) (formerly Zaire ebolavirus), first discovered in 1976. There is no evidence to suggest that the current strain of EBOV has a higher rate of transmissibility or an unusual level of pathogenicity compared with previous strains.
	The Department continues to work with colleagues across government to monitor and assess the risk posed to the United Kingdom by the current Ebola epidemic. The advice from the Chief Medical Officer is that the public health risk in the UK remains low, but this risk assessment is kept under regular review.

Ebola

Lord Moonie: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the likelihood of the aerosol transmission of the ebola virus.

Earl Howe: Ebola is spread through body fluid secretions directly and as stated in the Advisory Committee on Dangerous Pathogens guidance, United Kingdom experts agree there is no circumstantial or epidemiological evidence of an aerosol transmission risk.
	The Public Health England document Guidance Ebola: origins, reservoirs, transmission, guidelines clarifies this in more detail:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ebola-origins-reservoirs-transmission-and-guidelines

Ebola

Lord Moonie: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether an independent audit has been carried out of the isolation procedures and practical skills of staff in National Health Service hospitals designated to treat any ebola patients.

Earl Howe: All National Health Service trusts and providers of independent healthcare and adult social care in England are required to comply with The Health and Social Care Act 2008 Code of Practice for health and adult social care on the prevention and
	control of infections and related guidance (2009). This includes standards around infection control provision. A copy is available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/216227/dh_123923.pdf
	The Care Quality Commission takes this code into account when making decisions about the registration of a provider.
	Those NHS trusts that have been designated as having specialist infection control facilities (Royal Free Hospital London, Newcastle Royal Victoria Infirmary, Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospital and Sheffield Teaching Hospital) are subject to additional checks. In line with the requirements set out under the Health and Safety at Work Act (1974), the designated person from Health and Safety Executive’s Biological Agents Unit Hazardous Installations has visited each of the units and continues to work closely with them.

Ebola

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what general advice and notice of suspect ships they give to port health authorities, customs, immigration and pilots who run the risk of coming into contact with infection on a ship which has recently visited West African ports where ebola is in evidence.

Earl Howe: Advice on the arrival of ships from affected countries is being provided from the Department for Transport to Public Health England (PHE). PHE working through its local centres and in conjunction with local authorities and port authorities is determining on a case by case basis the required approach to each ship’s arrival. Important considerations are transit time from port in affected country (anything over 21 days is outside the incubation period for Ebola) and an understanding of the potential exposure of the crew. Maritime Declarations of Health are required routinely from ships arriving in United Kingdom ports which provide advance assurance of the health status of their crews. Notwithstanding this, local public health professionals are available to make proportionate assessments of arriving ship’s crews in order to determine any risk to public health and as required, any further follow up actions.

Egypt

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to mobilise international assistance for refugees and other migrants in Egypt.

Baroness Northover: The UK is at the forefront of the international response to the Syria crisis. The UK has already allocated £700 million to support internally displaced persons inside Syria and Syrian refugees in neighbouring countries, of which £2.3 million has been provided to Syrian refugees in Egypt in 2013/14. The UK Government
	has also been active in raising concerns on the treatment and detention of refugees and migrants within Egypt with the relevant authorities as well as providing diplomatic support to the work of UNHCR and other actors on these issues. The UK, through the tri-departmental Conflict Pool, is also supporting work to strengthen border management in the region.
	DFID is helping to address economic challenges in Egypt, promoting economic opportunities to reduce hardship. For example DFID is supporting job creation and economic reform through the £125m regional Arab Partnership programme. This has included working with young people and other marginalised groups on developing the skills and opportunities to find and create sustainable jobs.

Electoral Register

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they now expect from (1) the Cabinet Office, (2) the Electoral Commission, and (3) local Electoral Registration Officers as regards (a) the estimated proportion of those attaining the age of 18 who are registered to vote, and (b) the decline in the match rate of those attaining the age of 18 under the new system of individual electoral registration.

Lord Wallace of Saltaire: Through matching against government records, almost 9 in 10 electors in England and Wales were automatically transferred to the new register.
	The Government has funded Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) to write to all electors confirming whether they have matched, and inviting those that did not register under Individual Electoral Registration to do so. Non-responders will receive two written reminders and a visit from a canvasser.
	The Electoral Commission’s national awareness campaign includes activity aimed at young people. The Commission has encouraged EROs to work with schools to target attainers as part of their public engagement work.
	Online registration makes registering to vote simpler and quicker than ever before for nearly all electors - 530,511 16-24 year olds have applied since 11 July 2014.

Elgin Marbles

Lord Tyler: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to support the UNESCO mediation process to settle the dispute over the Parthenon sculptures currently held in the British Museum, under the rules set by the Intergovernmental Committee for Promoting the Return of Cultural Property to its Countries of Origin or its Restitution in case of Illicit Appropriation.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: The Government notes that the Intergovernmental Committee has invited Greece and the UK to consider making use of its mediation process with the aim of reaching a mutually acceptable solution to the issue of the Parthenon Sculptures. The mediation process is one option the Intergovernmental Committee offers for facilitating the bilateral resolution of disputes regarding cultural property and requires the consent of both parties concerned to enter into the process.
	The Government is considering the proposal and will respond in due course. The Government is clear that the sculptures are legally owned by the British Museum who continue to provide access for all.

EU Budget: Contributions

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the total amount of the United Kingdom net contributions paid to the European Union budget in the years 2010–13 inclusive; what is the estimated total for 2014; and how those contributions are financed.

Lord Deighton: The United Kingdom’s net contributions to the EU Budget over the period 2009-10 to 2013-14 were £41.1 billion. The current forecast for 2014-15 by the Office for Budget Responsibility is £9.1 billion.
	All data can be found in Table C.1 of HM Treasury’s Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses of July 2014[1].
	Contributions to the EU Budget are financed from Traditional Own Resources (mainly customs duties and sugar levies), contributions based on a hypothetical harmonised VAT base, and Gross National Income based contributions.
	[1]
	https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/public-expenditure-statistical-analyses-2014

EU Economic Policy

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any plans to re-consider the reply given by the Lord Privy Seal on 27 October to Lord Pearson of Rannoch (HL Deb, col 1010) to the effect that the European Union’s new €300 billion Strategic Agenda for the Union in Times of Change affects only the Eurozone and that the United Kingdom will not have to contribute to it.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: I refer the Noble Lord to the letter of 29 October correcting the reply, placed in the Library of the House by the Lord Privy Seal and Leader of the House of Lords, the right Hon. the Baroness Stowell of Beeston. A copy of the letter is below for ease of reference.
	Letter from Baroness Stowell of Beeston, Lord Privy Seal and Leader of the House of Lords, to Lord Pearson of Rannoch, dated 29 October 2014.
	I am writing to follow up our exchange during Monday's EU Council statement repeat (HL Deb, 27 October 2014, col1010).
	In responding to your question, I said that the investment package to which you referred related only to Eurozone countries. Upon further investigation I understand that the initiative in question will in fact involve all EU .Member States.
	Exact details of the package, including financing, are yet to be determined, but the European Commission's Task Force will report to the European Council in December about the next steps. The United Kingdom has a great deal of experience to share in this area by virtue of our National Infrastructure Plan and Guarantee Scheme.
	I wished to take this opportunity to correct the record directly. For the benefit of the whole House, I have also placed a copy of this letter in the Library.

European Union

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the total cost of contributions paid by the United Kingdom to European Union programmes falling outside the European Union budget in the years 2010–13 inclusive; what is the estimated total for 2014; and how those contributions are financed.

Baroness Northover: The UK has contributed £1,587 million to the European Development Fund 2010-2013 inclusive. The estimated total for 2014 is £326 million, subject to exchange rates. The contributions are financed from the DFID budget.

Extradition: Legal Aid Scheme

Lord Inglewood: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they last considered the High Level Cost Benefit Analysis of Removing Legal Aid Means Testing in Extradition Cases prepared by the Ministry of Justice for Sir Scott Baker’s review of the United Kingdom’s extradition arrangements of September 2011; and when they next intend to do so.

Lord Faulks: Her Majesty’s Government last considered the Cost Benefit Analysis in October 2012 shortly before it published its response to Sir Scott Baker’s Review of the United Kingdom’s Extradition Arrangements.
	Her Majesty’s Government has no plans to re-consider the Cost Benefit Analysis in the immediate future.

Folic Acid

Lord Rooker: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answers by Earl Howe on 14 July (HL771 and HL772), what plans they have to publish a progress report on the issues of industry discussions and communication awareness approaches with respect to folic acid.

Earl Howe: The Government does not plan to publish a progress report on the issues of industry discussions and communication awareness approaches with respect to folic acid. The outcomes of these pieces of work will be considered alongside the totality of other evidence in coming to a decision on mandatory fortification of flour with folic acid.

Football

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action are they taking to support the growth in the number of young women and girls playing football.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: This government is committed to equality in Sport. The Honorary Member for Maidstone has done sterling work with promoting women in Sport. Sport England is investing £2.4 million into a joint initiative between Sport England, the FA, the Premier League and the Football League Trust, encouraging more women and girls to play football. Since its launch in October 2013, nearly 21,000 14 to 25 year olds have taken part in the programme.
	As part of its Whole Sport Plan funding, Sport England is also investing £3 million to support a Women and Girls' Talent Pathway, an initiative to develop the next generation of talented female football players.

Free School Meals

Lord Grocott: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the answer by Lord Nash on 28 July (HL Deb, cols 1416–19), what is the proportion of children receiving free school meals in (1) academies, (2) free schools, and (3) maintained schools.

Lord Nash: Information on the number of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school meals is published in the ‘Schools, pupils and their characteristics: January 2014’ Statistical First Release.[1] Table 3b contains the proportion of pupils known to be eligible for and claiming free school
	meals in state-funded schools by phase. Table 3c contains the proportion of pupils eligible and claiming free school meals in each type of academy and free school.
	The relevant tables have been placed in the library of the House.
	www.gov.uk/government/publications/schools-pupils-and-their-characteristics-january-2014

Gangmasters: Licensing

The Lord Bishop of Norwich: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any plans to extend the powers of the Gangmasters Licensing Authority under the Gangmasters (Licensing) Act 2004 in order to regulate gangmasters in sectors such as hand car washes.

Lord Bates: The Government has no plans to extend the licensing remit of the Gangmasters Licensing Authority to additional sectors such as hand car washes. Licensing can be an appropriate response to particular problems in particular sectors, but that does not mean it is appropriate in all cases. However the Government will keep the Gangmasters Licensing Authority’s remit under review.

General Practitioners: Insurance

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of changes in the costs of medical indemnity for National Health Service out of hours services.
	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of changes in the costs of medical indemnity for National Health Service out of hours services on general practitioners working in that environment.
	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the number of general practitioners available to work for National Health Service out of hours services following changes in the costs of medical indemnity.
	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the insurance industry about the impact of changes in medical indemnity premiums for general practitioners working in out of hours services.

Earl Howe: Medical indemnity for general practitioners (GPs) is generally provided by the medical defence organisations. The Government is aware that the costs of medical negligence in general have been rising, including for GP out of hours services.
	No assessment has been made of the impact of changes in the costs of medical indemnity on out of hours services.
	Departmental Ministers have held one meeting about the rising costs of out of hours indemnity insurance, at which an insurance company was represented. The Department understands that there are commercial insurance products available for corporate out of hours providers, in addition to the individual indemnity cover provided by the medical defence organisations.

Health Services: Foreign Nationals

Lord Blencathra: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 30 October (HL2329), what are the extra costs to the National Health Service of net immigration between 2001 and 2011.

Earl Howe: The Department is not able to make a reliable estimate of the extra costs to the National Health Service budget of net immigration between 2001 and 2011, since the NHS does not hold or collate data on costs based on a person’s nationality or immigration status.
	In 2013, the Department commissioned a quantitative report to better understand the extent of the use of the NHS by migrants and visitors to support the consultation Sustaining services, ensuring fairness: A consultation on migrant access and their financial contribution to NHS provision in England. The report “Quantitative Assessment of Visitor and Migrant Use of the NHS in England. Exploring the Data.” estimates the total cost of visitors and temporary migrants’ normal use of NHS services to be £1.8 billion per year. This is the total gross cost and currently only a proportion of this is chargeable (approximately £460 million). Only some secondary care services are chargeable to non-European Economic Area individuals, and services for emergency care and public health reasons are exempt for all visitors and migrants, in addition to exemptions for different groups of individuals. This is an estimate for visitors and temporary migrants coming to England and does not account for the saving from individuals who migrate from the United Kingdom.

Health: Regulation

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how their intention to regulate non-medical public health specialists is consistent with their response to the House of Commons Health Select Committee report on the Health and Care Professions Council annual accountability review that extension of the current statutory regulation framework would only be considered where there is a compelling case on the basis of a public safety risk and where assured voluntary registers are not considered sufficient to manage this risk.
	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what evidence exists to suggest that the statutory regulation of non-medical public health specialists is necessary because of a risk to public safety.

Earl Howe: The Government made a careful assessment of the level of risk posed by non-medical public health specialists before deciding to extend statutory regulation. Although there is no evidence that a non-medical public health specialist has acted in a way that has put the public at harm, in view of the rising proportion of public health specialists that do not have a medical or dental background and given the critical leadership role that public health consultants play in protecting the public from harm, the Government believes that there is a need to introduce statutory regulation for this group of professionals.

In Vitro Fertilisation

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the remarks by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health, Jane Ellison, on 1 September (HC Deb, cols 119–122), how many of the mitochondrial diseases listed in Annex D of the consultation document entitled “Mitochondrial Donation” are included in the Human DNA Polymerase Gamma Mutation Database maintained by the National Institutes of Health in the USA; and what assessment they have made of the causal relationship between mutations affecting DNA Polymerase Gamma and disease-associated mitochondrial DNA mutations.

Earl Howe: The mitochondrial diseases listed in Annex D of the “Mitochondrial Donation” consultation document are diseases caused by an inherited mutation in mitochondrial DNA that results in faulty mitochondria. In contrast, the mitochondrial diseases listed in the Human DNA Polymerase Gamma Mutation Database are secondary disorders whereby faulty mitochondria arise from a nuclear gene defect. As such the primary mitochondrial DNA diseases listed in Annex D are distinct from those diseases listed in the Human DNA Polymerase Gamma Database, caused by a nuclear gene mutation.
	The proposed mitochondrial donation techniques would only be used for patients that have inherited mitochondrial DNA mutations and could not be used for those diseases in which faulty mitochondria arise from a nuclear gene mutation, as this mutation would still be inherited by the resulting child from the parents nuclear DNA.

In Vitro Fertilisation

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 23 January 2013 (HL4388), whether the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority still considers that multiple
	pregnancy poses “the single greatest health risk associated with fertility treatment”; what records they hold on foetal reduction in the first trimester and early in the second trimester; what assessment they have made of the impact of such procedures on the incidence of complications otherwise associated with multiple pregnancy; and what was the average mortality rate of (1) singleton, (2) twin, and (3) triplet, pregnancies in the United Kingdom over each year of the past decade for which records are available.

Earl Howe: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised that it and all of the relevant professional bodies support the One at a time initiative, which aims to reduce the incidence of multiple births following in-vitro fertilisation (IVF). The consensus statement signed in 2011 states that “Multiple births is the single biggest risk to the health and welfare of children born following fertility treatment”:
	www.oneatatime.org.uk/images/2011-05_Multiple _Births_Consensus_Statement_-_FINAL.pdf
	The HFEA holds records on foetal reductions carried out in the first trimester and early in the second trimester following each cycle of IVF or donor insemination in the UK.
	When developing its policy on multiple births the HFEA commissioned an Expert Group on Multiple Births after IVF, which concluded that the prevention of multiple pregnancies through single embryo transfer should be preferred to multifetal pregnancy reduction.
	Information on average mortality rates for singleton, twin and triplet pregnancies is not collected centrally. The information that is available is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Stillbirths and linked infant deaths rates: babies born in each year 2002 to 2011, plurality, England and Wales 1,2,3,4 
			  Stillbirth   Infant
			 Year Singletons Twins Triplets  Singletons Twins Triplets  
			 2002 5.3 15.7 44.6  4.7 23.1 40.6  
			 2003 5.4 17.6 52.5  4.7 23.5 63.7  
			 2004 5.4 14.8 51.8  4.5 21.6 61.8  
			 2005 5.1 13.2 29.7 u 4.4 23.5 54.1  
			 2006 5.1 11.8 24.2 u 4.4 21.7 67.0  
			 2007 5.0 11.2 19.7 u 4.2 19.9 50.3  
			 2008 4.9 11.6 28.7 u 4.1 20.0 55.2  
			 2009 4.9 12.2 31.5 u 4.0 20.1 34.9 u 
			 2010 4.9 11.4 15.8 u 3.8 18.4 62.1  
			 2011 5.0 10.9 15.5 u 3.7 18.8 21.7 u 
		
	
	Notes:
	1 Stillbirths per 1,000 live births and stillbirths. Infant deaths per 1,000 live births.
	2 Excludes babies born to non-residents.
	3 Rates based on between 3 and 19 deaths (inclusive) are distinguished by 'u' as a warning that their reliability may be affected by the small number of events.
	4 Information is not available for Scotland and Northern Ireland.
	Source:
	Office for National Statistics

Iran

Baroness Berridge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the refusal by the government of Iran to admit Members of Parliament wishing to visit Iran for inter-parliamentary discussions on human rights.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The Iranian government has not raised this issue with us. However, previous bilateral discussions over the last year have indicated that Iran views an expansion of UK/Iranian parliamentary dialogue as contingent on further progress in the broader UK/Iran bilateral relationship.

Iran

Baroness Berridge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Iran regarding Rasoul Abdollahi, imprisoned in Iran because of his religious beliefs.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We remain deeply concerned by the detention and ill treatment of all prisoners of conscience in Iran, and the ongoing discrimination against Christians and other minority religious groups. We have not raised this individual case with the Iranian government. However, we have called for the Iranian government to end the persecution of individuals on the basis of their faith, most recently at Iran’s Universal Periodic Review of Human Rights at the UN on 31 October.

Iran

Baroness Berridge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Iran regarding Mojtaba Seyyed Alaedin Hossein, imprisoned in Iran because of his religious beliefs.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We remain deeply concerned by the detention and ill treatment of all prisoners of conscience in Iran, and the ongoing discrimination against Christians and other minority religious groups. We have not raised this individual case with the Iranian Government. However, we have called for the Iranian government to end the persecution of individuals on the basis of their faith, most recently at Iran’s Universal Periodic Review of Human Rights at the UN on 31 October.

Iraq

Baroness Berridge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the number, and current location, of Yezidis displaced by IS.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The impact the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) atrocities have had on the Yezidi community and other civilians is devastating. The British Government strongly condemns the persecution of communities on the basis of their religion, belief or ethnicity.
	The UN estimates that 1.9 million people in Iraq have been displaced by the humanitarian emergency in total. All UK funded aid is distributed on the basis of need to ensure civilians are not discriminated against on the grounds of race, religion or ethnicity. We have therefore not carried out an assessment of the total number of Yezidis that have been displaced by ISIL and their current location, but will continue to work with the UN and the international community to ensure peoples’ basic needs are met.

Israel

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what weapons the United Kingdom has purchased from Israel in the last five years.

Lord Astor of Hever: In the last five years the Ministry of Defence has purchased the Exactor weapons system, comprising Exactor 2 palletised launchers and Exactor Mk5 missiles, from a contractor based in Israel.

Israel

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel concerning its proposal to raise the maximum prison sentence for Palestinians convicted of stone-throwing to 20 years.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: While we have not raised this particular issue with the Israeli authorities, our Ambassador to Israeli has written to the Israeli Justice Minister, Tipi Livni, raising our specific concerns on aspects of policy regarding children charged with security-related offences.

Israel

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel about the reported demolition of houses in Umm al-Khair village, near Hebron; and what assessment they have made of the impact of any such action on negotiations between the communities there.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The British Government repeatedly makes clear to the Israeli authorities our serious concerns about continued demolitions of Palestinian property and the need for Israel to abide by its obligations under international law. Demolitions cause unnecessary suffering to ordinary Palestinians;
	are harmful to the peace process; and, in all but the most limited circumstances, are contrary to International Humanitarian Law (IHL).

Israel

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel about the reported demolition of property in the al-Abbasiya area of Silwan and the arrest of the family to whom it belonged; and what assessment they have made of the impact of any such action on negotiations between the communities there.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We have raised the threat of demolitions in Silwan with the Israeli Minister of Interior and the Municipality of Jerusalem. Our Embassy made clear that we were concerned by the latest demolition orders issued in the Al-Abbasiya neighbourhood of Silwan. Demolitions cause unnecessary suffering to ordinary Palestinians; are harmful to the peace process; and, in all but the most limited circumstances, are contrary to International Humanitarian Law (IHL).

Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many F35B aircraft the United Kingdom will have purchased by 7 May 2015.

Lord Astor of Hever: By 7 May 2015 the UK will have ordered eight F-35 B aircraft, four of which will have been delivered. A contract for the procurement of long lead components for a further nine aircraft will also have been placed.

Judges: Training

Lord Beecham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the annual budget for the training of district judges (magistrates' courts) and deputy district judges (magistrates' courts) for each of the last five years, and for the current year.

Lord Faulks: The responsibility for the training of District Judges (magistrates’ courts) and deputies lies with the Lord Chief Justice as head of the judiciary and is exercised through the Judicial College.
	It is not possible to fully separate the budget figures between the DJ(MC)s and deputies as some continuation training events are attended jointly. Where it is possible to show separation it has been done.
	
		
			 Financial Year Attending Sub Totals Total (£000s) 
			 2009/10 DDJ & DJ £185 £185 
			 2010/11 DDJ £22  
			  DDJ & DJ £162 £184 
			 2011/12 DDJ £23  
			  DDJ & DJ £205 £228 
			 2012/13 DDJ £20  
			  DJ £83  
			  DDJ & DJ £133 £236 
			 2013/14 DDJ £31  
			  DDJ & DJ £137 £168 
			 2014/15 DDJ £28  
			  DDJ & DJ £122 £150 
		
	
	These figures reflect a half-day sitting fee paid to DDJ(MC) attending training. However, recent Court decisions require the College to pay a full day’s sitting fee to certain fee-paid judiciary whilst attending training seminars, and this is not reflected in these figures. [For previous years the College paid a half-day sitting fee whilst attending training.]

Kosovo

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps the Kosovo Force is taking to prevent intercommunal violence in Kosovo; and whether they consider that it should increase its activity.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Kosovo Force (KFOR) continues to have a Kosovo-wide role particularly in the Serbian majority north of Kosovo. It also has a specific role in protecting Serbian Orthodox sites, yet in the south of Kosovo this is coming to an end. KFOR is currently in the process of transferring responsibility for these sites to the Kosovo Police. This is done in consultation with the Serbian Orthodox Church and taking into account the political and security conditions on the ground. The monastery at Decani remains under KFOR protection and the Patriarchate in Peja is currently undergoing a transition to police protection.
	While there has been a slight increase in incidents of intercommunal violence, mainly due to the reverberations following a recent football match between Albania and Serbia, we do not see an overall trend of an increase in violence in general or a need for KFOR to increase activity.

Libya

Lord Chidgey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the proliferation of small arms in Libya, and of the effectiveness of any resources and funding made available by the United Kingdom to deal with that issue.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The proliferation of small arms in Libya is of major concern. It contributes to ongoing instability in that country, and potentially to the wider region. We have been working closely with our international partners to address the issue of unsecured weapons stockpiles in Libya.
	We have funded about £5m of work on arms and ammunition work in Libya to date. Unfortunately, our programme of work has been reduced due to events in Libya over the summer, which forced the withdrawal of our diplomatic staff.
	So far, in this financial year, the UK has committed an estimated £1.2m towards tackling the issues of unsecured weapons stockpiled in Libya. These resources have enabled the UK to fund small but important work programmes with the UN Mine Action Service and Danish Demining Group, on surveying weapons sites and tidying up unexploded ordinance devices.
	Until such time as we can return to Libya, we are exploring other options to work with Libyan groups. For example, we are working with local military and municipal councils who are already conducting their own activity to secure small arms and light weapons. The UK Ministry of Defence is also undertaking preparatory work for the UK’s eventual return to Libya, for instance, committing £4.2m this financial year towards the procurement of equipment and course materials for the Explosive Ordnance Device/Improvised Explosive Device Destruction Schools which the UK has been supporting.

Local Government Finance: Immigrants

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment have they made of the costs to local authorities of providing housing and other services to people with no other recourse to public funds.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Government does not hold a national estimate of the costs to local authorities of providing housing and other services to people with No Recourse to Public Funds.

Local Government: Billing

Lord Harrison: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their estimate of the financial liability of local authorities associated with late payments of suppliers' invoices which will result from the transposition of the European Union directive on late payments.

Lord Wallace of Saltaire: This information is not held centrally. However, in implementing Lord Young’s recommendations to open up public sector procurement to SMEs, increase transparency and simplify
	the government market, we are bringing in new measures so that from 2015 all public bodies will be required to publish the interest they have paid due to late payments. From 2016-17 they will have to calculate their liabilities and publish them annually.

Local Government: Cheshire

Lord Harrison: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any plans to reconstitute the former Cheshire County Council by bringing together the unitary authorities of Cheshire West and Chester and Cheshire East.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: There are no plans to bring together the unitary authorities of Cheshire West and Chester and Cheshire East. Such resource intensive and disruptive restructuring of local government would be an unnecessary distraction. The two Cheshire councils already have the legal powers to share services and work together if they wish, and they do not need the Government’s permission to do so.
	The Tri-Borough initiative in London is a good locally-led example of how councils can work together to improve services and delivery savings without the need for local government restructuring.

Local Government: Mutual Societies

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action are they taking to support the establishment of mutuals in local government.

Lord Wallace of Saltaire: The Government is committed to helping public sector staff take control of the services they deliver. The Cabinet Office Mutual Support Programme (MSP) provides £10m in funding to deliver guidance and support to employee controlled services and organisations.
	There are now 101 cross-sector public service mutuals across England, delivering over £1.5bn of public services.
	More information on the support available through the Cabinet Office Mutuals Programme can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/mutuals

Magistrates: Training

Lord Beecham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much HM Courts and Tribunal Service has spent on the expenses of magistrates undergoing training or development not provided by the Judicial College in each of the last five years; and what proportion of those expenses costs were taken up by travel.

Lord Faulks: The table below provides details of expenditure by HM Courts and Tribunals Service on the expenses of magistrates undergoing local training or development in each of the last five years.
	
		
			 Period Travel & Subsistence Loss of Earnings (Financial Loss Allowance) Total * 
			 2009/10 £628,566 £284,231 £912,797 
			 2010/11 £525,091 £188,745 £713,837 
			 2011/12 £405,888 £159,786 £565,674 
			 2012/13 £456,120 £145,741 £601,861 
			 2013/14 £374,554 £94,646 £469,200 
		
	
	* Figures may not sum to total due to rounding
	The training consists of the minimum annual provision which has to be provided to Magistrates as agreed between the Judicial College and HMCTS. It also includes any training deemed necessary by each Magistrates Area Training Committee (MATC).
	It is not possible to break down the travel expenses separately, due to the way the information is recorded on the database.

Malawi

Lord McConnell of Glenscorrodale: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what evidence they require a citizen of Malawi to provide in order to be granted a visa to visit the United Kingdom.

Lord Bates: The applicant must satisfy the Entry Clearance Officer that they meet the requirements of the immigration rules. The immigration rules apply to all non-EU nationals. For most visit visa categories, there are no requirements to provide specific evidence. In Points Based System categories (covering work and study categories) and Family Migration routes (covering applications to join family in the UK), there are specified evidential requirements. These are set out in the immigration rules, which are published at
	https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/immigration-rules

Malawi

Lord McConnell of Glenscorrodale: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the main reasons why applications for visas from citizens of Malawi are rejected, broken down by category; and what proportion of the total number of such visas rejected each of those reasons represents.

Lord Bates: The Home Office does not record data on its systems which would provide an answer to this question.

Mali

Lord Chidgey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they plan to take to ensure that development initiatives in Mali are conflict sensitive, inclusive and politically accountable.

Baroness Northover: The UK remains very concerned about the situation in the Mali. Despite continued progress in political stabilisation, the security situation remains volatile.
	Recognising the lessons of the previous peace agreements, which did not achieve a durable peace in Mali, the UK and other members of the Security Council have been working closely with all parties to encourage full and faithful implementation of a future comprehensive and inclusive peace agreement. Through the UK’s political, financial and personnel contributions to the UN Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) as well as regional EU Common Security and Defence Policy missions, the UK aims to promote political stability, good governance and regional cooperation as well as encouraging stability across the wider region.
	Although DFID does not have a bilateral development programme in Mali, we are working with other donors to ensure that development aid effectively addresses the needs of all of the citizens of Mali, is conflict sensitive and contributes to political accountability, legitimacy and inclusiveness. DFID has seconded a conflict adviser into the EU delegation in Mali to that end. DFID always consider the longer term development impact when developing our programmes across the Sahel, including Mali. Further details can be found on the Department’s Development Tracker online.

Marriage

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to introduce legislation enabling humanist marriages to be recognised.

Lord Faulks: The Government has consulted on whether the law should be changed to allow legally valid humanist and potentially other non-religious belief marriages. We are considering the responses we received and the implications for marriage law and practice if a change were to be made. We plan to publish the Government’s response to the review before 1 January 2015.

Medical Equipment

Lord Swinfen: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to assess the impact of the process of obtaining Dispensing Appliance Contractor licences
	on the Department of Health’s wish to increase medical innovation, as outlined in their Innovation Health and Wealth strategy.
	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to assess the impact of the process of obtaining Dispensing Appliance Contractor licences on small and medium-sized businesses offering continence products.
	To ask Her Majesty’s Government who holds primary responsibility for issuing Dispensing Appliance Contractor licences.

Earl Howe: There are no licensing requirements to open a private dispensing appliance contractor business. NHS England is responsible for determining whether a dispensing appliance contractor should be granted the right to provide National Health Service pharmaceutical services. Such determinations can generally be appealed to the Family Health Services Appeal Unit of the NHS Litigation Authority.
	The Department keeps the operation of the relevant NHS regulations governing the right to provide NHS pharmaceutical services under regular review with NHS England, the NHS Litigation Authority and contractors’ representatives, as appropriate. We are not aware of any significant issues regarding the impact of these arrangements on small and medium-sized businesses offering continence products nor on the adoption of innovation in the NHS.

Mediterranean Sea

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to prevent further deaths by drowning in the Mediterranean through the mobilisation of aircraft, drones and satellites, and radar.

Lord Bates: Governments across the EU have been deeply disturbed by the fourfold increase in deaths since the launch of the 'Mare Nostrum' operation. Efforts to prevent further deaths in the Mediterranean remain focused on national search and rescue activities led and coordinated by the appropriate EU Member State National Coordination Centre. However, Search and Rescue remains outside the competence of the EU or its Agencies, including Frontex.
	These efforts are supported by the new European Border Surveillance System (EUROSUR), which was set up to reduce the number of irregular migrants entering the EU undetected; to reduce the number of deaths at the maritime borders by saving more lives at sea, and to increase the internal security of the EU as a whole by contributing to the prevention of cross-border crime. It uses ship reporting systems, satellite imagery and sensors mounted on vehicles, vessels or other craft to help build a shared pre-frontier intelligence picture.
	The UK does not participate in the Eurosur Regulation as that Regulation is limited to the Member States of the Schengen area. However the UK has negotiated an amendment to the Eurosur Regulation which permits
	the UK to cooperate and exchange information with neighbouring Member States through bilateral or multilateral agreements.

Middle East

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel concerning the shooting of the Palestinian suspected of wounding Temple Mount activist Yehuda Glick.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We have not raised this specific issue with the Israeli authorities.

Middle East

Lord Noon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their current estimate of the number of British-born jihadists who have gone to fight in support of extremist groups in Syria and Iraq; and how that figure compares with estimates by other western governments of numbers of their citizens who have gone to fight.

Lord Bates: We believe that approximately 500 individuals from the UK have now travelled to the region since the start of the conflict. It is estimated half of these have returned. Not all of these individuals will have been involved in fighting. Recent comparable estimates of travellers/fighters for selected countries where some data has been reported publically are as follows:
	France: over 700Germany: 400Belgium: 300Netherlands: 130Austria: 140Denmark: over 100USA: just over 100Canada: Roughly 100Sweden: 80Spain: 60Australia: at least 60.

Middle East

Lord Noon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their current estimate of the number of British citizens who have been killed while fighting for ISIL and other terrorist groups in Syria and Iraq; and whether they will publish a list of names, ages, gender and town of last residence in the United Kingdom of those thought to have died.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We have no Embassy in Syria and are not routinely informed of the deaths of British nationals in the country. The difficulty of
	collecting information in a conflict zone, in particular when individuals have often deliberately chosen to disguise their intentions and their identity, means that the Government has no means of reliably assembling this information.

Middle East

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government in what ways they are working to increase dialogue and co-operation between Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Iran in relation to the current problems of Syria and Iraq.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: As part of our efforts to counter the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), and find a solution to the problems of Iraq and Syria we are encouraging cooperation and engaging with countries across the region. On 10 November the UK convened a meeting of the Core Group of the Friends of Syria which includes Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. We reaffirmed our commitment to a genuine political transition in co-operation with the UN Special Envoy; supporting the National Coalition to deliver services and protect the Syrian people; and strengthening measures against the Syrian regime including restricting its access to oil and military hardware. Alongside Foreign Ministers from the region, including Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), attended an international conference on peace and security in Iraq in Paris in September 2014. We continue to encourage governments throughout the region to support Prime Minister al-Abadi in his efforts to promote inclusive governance and advance the national reconciliation process.
	Iran has an important role to play in the region and we have an ongoing dialogue on regional issues as part of our engagement via non-resident Chargé d’Affaires. The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), also discussed regional issues with President Rouhani on 24 September 2014. In Iraq, Iran’s support for the new government is welcome, as is its effort to promote more inclusive governance for all Iraqis. We are open to discussing Syria with Iran and raise the issue in our contacts with them. Iran can and must play a constructive role.

Middle East

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the case for providing overseas aid to members of the Syriac Orthodox Church and other Christian communities in Iraq and Syria; and whether they consider that such Christian communities benefit from adequate protection from their governments against ISIL and other Islamic fundamentalists.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The UK Government is horrified by the barbaric acts of the self-styled Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) which is seeking to stoke sectarian conflict across the Middle East. Across Syria and Northern Iraq ISIL have launched a campaign of violence and terror and carried out
	appalling atrocities. They have attacked people of every faith and of none. In Iraq we have committed £23 million of humanitarian assistance to help those who have fled ISIL advances. We are working closely with the Iraqi government and our international coalition partners to assist and protect civilians wherever we can. We welcome the commitments that Prime Minister al-Abadi has made to inclusivity, to protecting Iraqi citizens, addressing human rights abuses and holding those responsible to account. The UK has committed a total of £700 million in response to the humanitarian crisis in Syria and the region. The Syrian regime is seeking to heighten sectarian tension and fear within Christian, and other minority communities, painting the opposition as solely Islamic extremists, with Assad trying to paint himself as the only defender of the Syrian Christians. He is not; he continues to create the conditions for extremism in Syria by prosecuting a war he can’t win, destroying communities and the social fabric of the country. In the long run the only way to secure the position of Syria’s minority communities is to find an inclusive political solution to the crisis. The UK is determined to support the moderate opposition, who are working for an inclusive political settlement, and are committed to protect all of Syria’s communities and resist, extremists and authoritarian regimes.

Middle East

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what further representations they intend to make to the governments of Middle-Eastern states and Turkey to dissuade them from funding organisations and campaigns which target Christian communities in Iraq, Syria and elsewhere.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: ISIL (the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) is a brutal terrorist organisation that has targeted Christians and other communities in Iraq and Syria. Our partners within the Middle East, including Turkey and the Gulf states, have made clear by their current actions that they are fully committed to taking action against ISIL. We are aware of reports that individual citizens from the region may be providing support to ISIL and other extremist groups, but there is no evidence to suggest that the governments we engage with are involved. The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron) discusses these issues regularly with his counterparts, including during the visit of the Qatari Emir on 29 October. We will continue to make representations to our allies, including from the Middle East, to also ensure full implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2170 on tackling ISIL’s access to resources.

Middle East

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they will take to encourage both Israel and Palestine to ratify the Rome Statute.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The UK is a strong supporter of international law and the International Criminal Court. However, we do not believe that such
	an action by either side at this point in time would serve to end the conflict, and it is likely to make a resumption of negotiations more difficult.

Middle East

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the report by Amnesty International Families Under the Rubble, what steps they intend to take to ensure that Israel is held accountable for human rights violations carried out during Operation Protective Edge.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: There must be a robust process of accountability given the heavy civilian death toll in Gaza. Israel has confirmed plans to form their own investigative committee which we understand will be mandated to investigate the proportionality of Israel Defence Forces actions. To be credible, the committee must be independent, transparent and rigorous, and must draw on lessons from the past to examine how Israel can in future exercise its right to self-defence without such heavy civilian loss of life. We are also calling on all sides to cooperate with the Commission of Inquiry set up by the UN Human Rights Council, which must itself be independent and balanced in its approach.

Middle East

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether conditions for an enduring ceasefire in Gaza have been settled; what they are; and whether they are being met.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Israel and Hamas are maintaining an uneasy truce in Gaza. The 26 August ceasefire committed the parties to convene talks to cover a range of outstanding issues including the disarmament of militant groups and easing of restrictions.
	The last round of talks was postponed. The conditions for an enduring ceasefire have therefore not yet been settled or met.
	Progress has, however, been made on some aspects of work which are necessary to get Gaza back on its feet, although huge challenges remain. On 16 September, United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East, Robert Serry, agreed a new UN-Palestinian Authority- Israel mechanism to facilitate the reconstruction of Gaza.

Middle East

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assistance they intend to give to the European Union’s new High Representative Federica Mogherini to achieve her goal of establishing a Palestinian State.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The UK fully supports the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini’s position on the urgency of moving forward with the peace process and on the importance of the establishment of a Palestinian state. The UK has been a long-standing supporter of the two state solution and is committed to seeing a sovereign, independent, democratic, contiguous
	and viable Palestinian state - living in peace and security, side by side with Israel. The UK, along with the EU, believes that a negotiated solution is the best way to achieve this on the ground. The EU has an important role to play and we will continue to work closely with EU partners and the High Representative to support the parties in finding a way to resume the peace process.

Military Medals Review

Lord Palmer of Childs Hill: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any plans to release Sir John Holmes' Final Report on the case for a National Defence Medal.

Lord Wallace of Saltaire: As part of his Review of Military Medals, Sir John Holmes reviewed the case for a National Defence Medal. An options paper was produced and a copy of this paper was placed in the Libraries of both Houses on 29 July 2014, accompanying the Written Ministerial Statement on the Military Medals Review by the Lord Privy Seal on the same day.

Nutrition

Lord Avebury: To ask Her Majesty’s Government who will be representing the United Kingdom Government at the World Health Organisation Second International Conference on Nutrition in Rome from 19 to 21 November.

Baroness Northover: I will personally be attending the Second International Conference on Nutrition (ICN2) along with high level representatives from DFID and the Department of Health.

Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answers by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health, Jane Ellison, on 11 September (HC Deb, cols 664–5W) and on 12 September (HC Deb, col 750W), how it is anticipated that proposed interventions for mitochondrial disease would not impact on the incidence of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome.

Earl Howe: Further to answers given on 12 September (HC Deb, col 750w) the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised that if mitochondrial donation was permitted
	in treatment it is not anticipated that this would impact on the incidence of ovarian hyper stimulation syndrome (OHSS). This is because any egg donation or collection processes necessary for mitochondrial donation would be carried out at HFEA licensed fertility clinics in line with the guidance outlined in the HFEA Code of Practice. Mitochondrial donation raises no new issues in respect of OHSS as the women who may donate eggs will be subject to the same protocols as those donating to fertility treatment.

Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answers by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health, Jane Ellison, on 11 September (HC Deb, cols 664–5W) and on 12 September (HC Deb, col 750W), how the assessment was made that if "mitochondria donation was permitted in treatment it is not anticipated that this will impact on the incidence of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome" in the absence of an evidence base to predict the cohort of patients that may develop ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome.

Earl Howe: Further to answers given on 12 September (HC Deb, col 750w) the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised that if mitochondrial donation was permitted in treatment it is not anticipated that this would impact on the incidence of ovarian hyper stimulation syndrome (OHSS). This is because any egg donation or collection processes necessary for mitochondrial donation would be carried out at HFEA licensed fertility clinics in line with the guidance outlined in the HFEA Code of Practice. Mitochondrial donation raises no new issues in respect of OHSS as the women who may donate eggs will be subject to the same protocols as those donating to fertility treatment.

Pakistan

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the President of Pakistan and the Pakistan High Commissioner in London about the burning to death in Kot Radha Kishan of a Christian couple following allegations of blasphemy.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We were shocked by this brutal killing and immediately issued a statement condemning this act. It is essential the authorities investigate these atrocious murders and bring those responsible to justice. We regularly raise the misuse of blasphemy laws with representatives of the Pakistani government. Most recently, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth East (Mr Ellwood), raised this with the Pakistan High Commissioner on 28 October. We will continue to raise our concerns at the highest levels in Pakistan.

Palestinians

Baroness Deech: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the Palestinian Authority regarding the prevention of violence in the vicinity of the holy places of Jerusalem.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: An official from our Consulate-General in Jerusalem has spoken to several members of the Palestinian leadership including representatives from the Palestinian Liberation Organization, the President’s office and the Prime Minister’s office to underline the importance of the Palestinian leadership taking all possible steps to reduce tension and encourage calm in Jerusalem, including by avoiding the use of inflammatory rhetoric.

Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any plans to offer some form of protection to small and medium-sized enterprises with sales between £5 million and £25 million in the Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme 2014.
	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what mechanisms they have put in place to ensure that the interests of small and medium-sized pharmaceutical companies are fairly represented in the Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme 2014.

Earl Howe: The 2014 Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme (PPRS) was agreed with the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry and smaller businesses were represented in the negotiations.
	The 2014 PPRS includes a number of provisions relating to smaller businesses. For example, companies with sales of health service medicines of less than £5 million a year (not counting global sales) are exempt from making any payments under the 2014 PPRS scheme.
	We have no plans to amend the PPRS which was negotiated with the industry and to which all parties remain committed. One of the agreed objectives set out in the Scheme is to provide stability and predictability to both the National Health Service and to the industry.

Police Service of Northern Ireland

Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the additional £200 million provided for the Police Service of Northern Ireland was included in the financial settlement figures announced for the four financial years beginning in 2011–12.

Lord Deighton: The additional provision for the Police Service of Northern Ireland was agreed subsequent to the 2010 Spending Review, and was additional to the allocations set out then for 2011-12 to 2014-15.

Police: Training

Lord Blencathra: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bates on 30 October (HL2330), how many police officers in England and Wales will be expected to undertake personal safety training; and how many operational police officers will not be undertaking personal safety training.

Lord Bates: Data regarding police officers undertaking, or not undertaking personal safety training is held by individual police forces and is not collated by the Home Office or the College of Policing. National guidance, set by the Association of Chief Police Officers requires all police personnel to undertake personal safety training relevant to their role requirements and to refresh this on an annual basis.

Prescription Drugs: Prices

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government why small and medium-sized enterprises with sales between £5 million and £25 million are exempted from the protection in the new Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme.
	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of a further limit to the maximum price of a prescription only, branded health service medicine on small and medium- sized pharmaceutical companies as proposed in the Consultation on Amendments to the Statutory Scheme to Control the Prices of Branded Health Service Medicines of October 2014.
	To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of strengthening the information requirements on small and medium-sized pharmaceutical companies as proposed in the Consultation on Amendments to the Statutory Scheme to Control the Prices of Branded Health Service Medicines of October 2014.

Earl Howe: Companies with sales of less than £5 million a year of branded medicines to the health service (i.e. excluding their global sales) are exempted from making Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme (PPRS) payments to the Department. All companies in the Scheme with £5 million or more a year of such sales are covered by the provisions of the scheme. The level of sales threshold for the exemption
	was agreed with the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry as part of the 2014 PPRS negotiations. Small companies were represented in the negotiations.
	Companies that choose not to join the PPRS are covered by the Statutory Scheme for controlling branded medicine prices. Companies in the statutory scheme with branded medicine sales of less than £5 million to the health service (i.e. excluding global sales) are exempted from the limit on maximum price and the information requirements.
	The Government has consulted on a further limit to the maximum price of branded health service medicines in the statutory scheme. This is available at:
	www.gov.uk/government/consultations/branded-medicines-controlling-prices.
	As stated in the consultation document, Amendments to the Statutory Scheme to Control the Prices of Branded Health Service Medicines, published on 10 October 2014, the Government is aware of the need to broadly align the effect of the two schemes while taking account of the differences between them. As the consultation document says that the Government is particularly interested in the impact of an additional price cut might have on small companies, the Government has asked for views on the impact of any price adjustment on companies that are close to the £5 million exemption threshold.
	The consultation document discusses strengthening information requirements. Companies would only be asked to provide this information on the rare occasions when the Department suspected a possible breach of the regulations.
	The Government will take account of a range of factors set out in the consultation document and the consultation impact assessment when reaching a decision on its consultation proposals, as well as responses to the consultation, including responses from small and medium-sized companies.

Prisoners: Females

Baroness Corston: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many women were in prisons in England on 30 June in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014 respectively.

Lord Faulks: The decision to sentence a person to a custodial sentence, or to remand a person into custody prior to trial or sentencing, is a matter for the independent judiciary and courts will take into account all the circumstances of the offence and the offender in determining this.
	For the last two years, the female prison population has been consistently under 4,000 for the first time in a decade. Data on the number of women in prison is published annually at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/339036/prison-population-2014.xls
	The numbers of women in prisons in England on 30th June on each of the years in question were:
	
		
			 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 
			 4,463 4,283 4,505 4,307 4,267 4,185 4,123 3,853 3,929 
		
	
	We are committed to making sure that sentencers have robust community options at their disposal. The Female Offenders Advisory Board are working in Greater Manchester on a pathfinder aimed at providing sentencers with robust and effective sentencing options in the community which may divert women from custody, where appropriate. Learning from the pathfinder will inform a new operating model for working differently with women in the criminal justice system. We are also testing a new model of liaison and diversion in police custody and the courts. The trial scheme, in 10 areas, will aim to identify, assess and refer people with mental health, learning disability, substance misuse and social vulnerabilities into treatment or support services.
	We are also working to make sure that female offenders have the support they need to turn their lives around. In March 2014, we published a first year progress report on delivery of our strategic objectives for female offenders, which sets out clearly our key priorities for addressing the needs of female offenders and reducing the number of women in custody. Our Transforming Rehabilitation reforms also mean that those serving under 12 month sentences will, for the first time in recent history, be subject to statutory supervision including a licence period in the community, aimed at supporting successful community reintegration and rehabilitation. Proportionally, more women than men are serving short sentences so they will benefit particularly from this element of the reforms.

Prisons: Parcels

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the effects of the ban on the receipt by prisoners in England and Wales of parcels containing for example books, underwear, clothing, stationery and Christmas presents.

Lord Faulks: There have always been controls on the sending of parcels into prisons; the revised Incentives and Earned Privileges (IEP) national policy framework has simply ensured greater consistency across the prison estate. We now have simple rules that allow prisoners a parcel of items when they first arrive in prison, and then only further items in exceptional circumstances. The restrictions were introduced to enhance existing security measures and to prevent the IEP policy framework from being undermined.
	There is no longer a numerical limit on the amount of underwear that prisoners can have in possession; the amount they can have is subject only to overarching volumetric control limits.

Procurement: EU Law

Lord Harrison: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they will publish their response to the consultation on the draft regulations transposing the new European Union procurement directives in the United Kingdom.

Lord Wallace of Saltaire: The Government’s consultation on implementing the 2014 EU Procurement Directives took place between 19 September and 17 October 2014. We expect to publish our response early in the New Year.

Productivity

Lord Birt: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Livingston of Parkhead on 13 October (HL1890), what they consider to be the reasons for the differences between the output per worker per hour in the United Kingdom and those of the other G7 countries, as reported by the Office for National Statistics in its statistical bulletin International Comparisons of Productivity—Final Estimates 2012; and what plans they have to improve the United Kingdom’s relative position.

Lord Livingston of Parkhead: The most up to date productivity data for 2012 are in the table.
	
		
			 Current Price Productivity, 2012, G7 countries, Index UK=100 
			  Japan Germany Canada Italy France US UK G7 excl. UK 
			 GDP per worker 90 108 104 116 115 140 100 120 
			 GDP per hour worked 85 129 100 109 128 130 100 117 
		
	
	Source: International Comparisons of Productivity, First Estimates for 2013, ONS (Oct 2014)
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/icp/international-comparisons-of-productivity/2013---first-estimates/index.html
	Analysis undertaken by BIS (2012) to support Lord Heseltine’s Review of UK Competitiveness examined UK productivity in comparison to France, Germany and the USA. An analysis of productivity across all G7 countries has not yet been completed. The full analysis can be found here (https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/34647/12-1207-benchmarking-uk-competitiveness-in-the-global-economy.pdf) but the main findings were:
	The analysis decomposed the productivity gap (measured by output per hour worked) into two components:
	• Sector productivity effect – the share of the gap arising due to productivity in a given sector being higher in another country than in the UK.• Sector mix effect – the share of the gap arising due to employment in another country being more concentrated in high productivity sectors than in the UK.
	When UK productivity is compared to France, Germany and the USA, the sector productivity effect in each of the comparator countries fully explains the gap. As such, higher productivity across almost all sectors in each of these economies accounts for the entirety of their lead over the UK. In fact, the UK’s favourable sector mix went some way towards reducing the gap, particularly against France.
	Naturally, the factors driving the gap vary by country. However, at the aggregate level, the UK tends to have lower capital per head than France and Germany and a less efficient use of inputs in production (Total Factor Productivity) than the USA (BIS, 2010) (https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/32101/10-1213-economic-growth.pdf). There is also a (smaller) gap between the UK and its major competitors in terms of skills. This is generally characterised as a gap in intermediate skills with France and Germany, and a gap in higher level skills relative to the USA.
	Plans to Improve UK Productivity
	Government policy focuses on delivering growth which in turn depends on productivity in the longer term. In this sense, the majority of longer run Government economic policy is ultimately about raising productivity.
	The Government’s industrial strategy and ‘The Plan for Growth’ are creating the right environment for businesses to invest and grow. This will continue to support UK long-term productivity growth.
	Data Revisions
	Recent changes to national accounts methodology have slightly reduced the productivity gap between the UK and other leading G7 economies. Data for 2012 were revised and are provided in the table above. In case it is of interest, the most recent data for 2013 is also included in the table below. A full decomposition of the productivity gap has not yet been undertaken using the revised data.
	
		
			 Current Price Productivity, 2013, G7 countries, Index UK=100 
			  Japan Germany Canada Italy France US UK G7 excl. UK 
			 GDP per worker 88 107 103 115 114 139 100 119 
			 GDP per hour worked 85 129 101 109 128 130 100 117 
		
	
	Source: International Comparisons of Productivity, First Estimates for 2013, ONS (Oct 2014)
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/icp/international-comparisons-of-productivity/2013---first-estimates/index.html
	References
	BIS (2010) Economic Growth, BIS Economics Paper No. 9
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/32101/10-1213-economic-growth.pdf
	BIS (2012) Benchmarking UK Competitiveness in the Global Economy, BIS Economics Paper No. 19
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/34647/12-1207-benchmarking-uk-competitiveness-in-the-global-economy.pdf

Public Expenditure

Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what percentage changes, in real terms, were incurred by the Scottish Government, Welsh Assembly Government and the Northern Ireland Executive in the financial settlements for the four financial years beginning 2011–12.

Lord Deighton: The table below sets out the percentage changes in real terms to devolved administration budgets, year-on-year, for the period requested. It reflects the settlements set out at the 2010 Spending Review, and incorporates changes made at subsequent fiscal events.
	
		
			 % change (real terms) 2010-11 to 2011-12 2011-12 to 2012-13 2012-13 to 2013-14 2013-14 to 2014-15 
			 Scottish Government -4.6% 0.0% -1.4% -1.3% 
			 Welsh Government -4.8% -1.4% -0.1% -1.8% 
			 Northern Ireland Executive -2.1% -0.7% -0.7% -2.0%

Public Expenditure

Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the effect on the budgets of the Scottish Government, the Welsh Government and the Northern Ireland Executive of equalisation of public expenditure per head of population throughout the United Kingdom.

Lord Deighton: The Government has not made such an assessment. The leaders of the three main UK political parties have indicated that the Barnett formula will continue to operate.

Public Expenditure: Northern Ireland

Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they informed the Northern Ireland Executive of their annual financial settlement for financial years 2011–12, 2012–13, 2013–14 and 2014–15; and the respective amounts for each of those years.

Lord Deighton: The Northern Ireland Executive were informed of their allocations for the years 2011-12 to 2014-15 as part of the 2010 Spending Review in October 2010. The allocations set out at that Spending Review are shown in the table below.
	
		
			 £ million 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 
			 Fiscal Resource DEL 9,425 9,420 9,486 9,529 
			 Ring-fenced depreciation 351 370 357 356 
			 Ring-fenced Student Loans 61 69 84 100 
			 Capital DEL 903 859 781 804 
		
	
	Northern Ireland Executive budgets were then adjusted at subsequent Budgets, Autumn Statements and Estimates rounds to reflect Barnett consequentials flowing from those events.

Public Expenditure: Northern Ireland

Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they informed the Northern Ireland Executive of their annual financial settlement for financial year 2015–16; and what was that amount.

Lord Deighton: The Northern Ireland Executive were informed of their allocations for 2015-16 as part of the 2013 spending round in June 2013. The allocations made as part of the spending round are shown in the table below.
	
		
			  2015-16 
			  £ million 
			 Fiscal Resource DEL 9,622 
			 Ring-fenced depreciation 404 
			 Ring-fenced Student Loans 141 
			 Capital DEL 956 
			 Financial Transactions Capital 104 
		
	
	Northern Ireland Executive budgets have been adjusted at subsequent Budgets and Autumn Statements to reflect Barnett consequentials flowing from those events.

Railways

Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Kramer on 6 November (HL2589), what savings they have made to date from alliances between passenger train operators and Network Rail.

Baroness Kramer: The sole deep Alliance between a passenger train operator and Network Rail (NR) is the Wessex Alliance between South West Trains and NR. It seeks to deliver benefits such as more effective station management, better planning of track maintenance, aligned objectives and operational efficiencies
	The Alliance sees South West Trains and Network Rail share risks and opportunities within agreed parameters. To date, the Alliance has focused on improving the underlying condition of the infrastructure in order to secure operational efficiencies in the future. That approach has not yet generated savings for the Alliance, or therefore Government. Network Rail and South West Trains have, however, gained sufficient confidence in the potential of the Alliance to continue the arrangements into 2017 and we expect to see a financial return arising from these arrangements.

Religious Freedom

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the number of citizens who have suffered threats or violence as a result of converting from Islam to another belief system.

Lord Bates: No formal assessment of the number of citizens who have suffered threats or violence as a result of converting from Islam to another belief system has been made.
	However the UK Government takes all forms of hate crime very seriously. We deplore all religious and racially motivated attacks and so-called honour-based violence. We are encouraging anyone who is a victim of a hate crime, or subject to race-related abuse or attack, to report the incident to the police, so the offenders can be dealt with appropriately.
	The May 2014 progress report into hate crime provides both an overview of Government achievements, and case study examples, demonstrating how work to tackle hate crime is being carried out locally. In addition, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary will be carrying out an inspection into the police response to honour-based violence in the new year.

Revenue and Customs

Lord Willoughby de Broke: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what will be the legal basis permitting HM Revenue and Customs to remove money from personal bank accounts without first obtaining a Court Order, as announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in his Budget speech in March.

Lord Deighton: The Government consulted on the process and safeguards for the Direct Recovery of Debts between 6 May and 29 July 2014. This policy will modernise and strengthen HM Revenue’s and Customs’ ability to recover tax and tax credit debts from those who are refusing to pay what they owe but have sufficient funds in their accounts.
	The Government will publish draft legislation in due course.
	In line with the Government’s Tax Policy Framework, this draft legislation will be consulted on before it is included in the Finance Bill, where it will be subject to the usual Parliamentary scrutiny.

Sahel

Lord Chidgey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of their intention not to open any new Missions in the Western Sahel region of Africa, what assessment they have made of the United Kingdom’s influence on political institutions and stability in the region.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The Government’s North and West Africa Strategy enables the UK to engage effectively with states and political institutions in the Western Sahel region. The Prime Minister’s Special Envoy for the Sahel plays an important role in coordinating that effort and has built good relations with governments across the region. We also work through our partners, such as the EU, in those countries where the UK does not have a resident Ambassador. In addition, we work closely with regional organisations, as demonstrated in the recent case of instability in Burkina Faso, where we support the African Union and the Economic Community Of West African States' efforts to return that country to stable and democratic civilian government.

Schools

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what support they provide to local authorities who want to make greater use of school premises for the benefit of the community outside school times.

Lord Nash: The Education Act 2002 gives school governing bodies the power to run community services without the need to consult or obtain permission from local authorities. Schools have the freedom to use their estates for community facilities and can provide integrated services such as health services, childcare or adult education and work in partnership with other providers as a resource for the whole community. We do not provide support for local authorities as this is a matter for schools.

Sellafield

Lord Judd: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with Sellafield Ltd, the Office of Nuclear Regulation and other relevant bodies about existing, or potential, public safety, wildlife vulnerability and security risks arising from the condition of nuclear
	waste storage ponds at Sellafield; what was the outcome of any such discussions; and what action they are taking to deal with any risks that may have been identified.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: It is a national priority to reduce the hazard and risk at Sellafield in a safe and timely manner and progress in addressing the hazards at Sellafield is kept under frequent review. The actual detail of the programmes and the actions to maintain safety, are matters between Sellafield Ltd. as the site licence company and ONR as the independent nuclear regulator. Sellafield is ONR’s highest regulatory priority and receives a significantly enhanced level of regulatory attention.
	Security at Sellafield is specifically designed to address a wide range of credible threats, with measures including perimeter and internal physical barriers, detection and surveillance technologies and an armed response provided by the Civil Nuclear Constabulary. In line with internationally established principle of continuous improvement, the Sellafield site has seen a series of security enhancements over the last few years to ensure security remains robust.

Sellafield

Lord Judd: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what calculations they have made about the size and scale of potential security, environmental and public safety consequences of any potential failure in nuclear waste storage systems at Sellafield; and when they will publish details of those calculations.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: Government and licensees take very seriously the need to decommission legacy facilities, including those at Sellafield. This work is underpinned by periodic safety reviews, which are assessed by the Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR). In addition to this, nuclear operators have a legal obligation under the Radiation (Emergency Preparedness and Public Information) Regulations 2001 (REPPIR) to identify, evaluate and assess their hazards and risks, which enables the ONR to determine the off-site emergency planning area in line with its assessment principles:
	http://www.onr.org.uk/depz-onr-principles.htm.

Sierra Leone

Lord Naseby: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the 750 military personnel sent to Sierra Leone have full life insurance cover.

Lord Astor of Hever: It is ultimately a matter for individual Service Personnel whether they choose to purchase personal accident and/or life insurance cover.
	However, the Department recognises that we also have a duty of care to ensure that personal accident and life insurance cover is available to those service
	personnel who consider they require it. The Ministry of Defence therefore has a contract with Aon Ltd for a Personal Accident and Optional Life and Critical Illness Insurance, named PAX. A separate contract for Life insurance, named SLI365, is in place, managed by Willis Ltd and underwritten by Sterling Insurance Group. The cover which these schemes provide is voluntary and separate from the benefits provided by the Government. It is also possible that Service Personnel may have secured accident cover/life insurance through other means.
	Separately, the Ministry of Defence provides compensation for personnel injured due to service through the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme.

Special Educational Needs

The Countess of Mar: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, under the Children and Families Act 2014, a family with a child who has special educational needs may opt out of an Education and Health Care Plan; and, if so, by what mechanism.

Lord Nash: Parents can make their own arrangements for their child’s education. These must be suitable for the child’s age, aptitude and any special educational needs they may have.
	Under the Children and Families Act 2014 where a local authority maintains an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan for a child or young person it is under a duty to secure the special educational provision specified in it unless parents have made suitable alternative arrangements.
	Where a local authority is satisfied that the parents’ arrangements are suitable it must continue to review the child’s EHC plan annually and assure itself that the plan remains appropriate.

Special Educational Needs

The Countess of Mar: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether social services investigations into families are automatically triggered if a family chooses an educational method, such as home education, other than those listed in their Education and Health Care Assessment.

Lord Nash: Social services investigations into families are not automatically triggered if a family whose child has an Education, Health and Care Needs Assessment chooses to educate their child at home. Under section 7 of the Education Act 1996, parents have the right to educate their child at home. Home education must be suitable to the child’s age, ability, aptitude and special educational needs.
	Where local authorities and parents agree that home education is the right provision for a child with an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan, the plan should make clear that the child will be educated at
	home. If it does, the local authority must arrange the special educational provision in the plan, working with the parents.
	In cases where the local authority names a school or type of school that it considers appropriate in the child’s EHC plan but the parents decided to educate the child at home, the local authority is not under a duty to arrange the special educational provision specified in the plan provided that it is satisfied that the arrangements made by the parents are suitable. Local authorities do not have the right of entry to the family home to check that the provision being made by the parent is suitable and may only enter the home at the invitation of the parents.

Spinal Injuries

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to support Professor Raisman’s research into spinal cord injury following the success of his first clinical trial in Poland.

Earl Howe: Professor Raisman, currently at the University College London Institute of Neurology, has been developing this technique for around 40 years, 30 of which were spent at the Medical Research Council’s National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR). All of the basic research and animal proof of concept for this work was undertaken during Professor Raisman’s time at the NIMR and a summary of this work can be found at:
	www.nimr.mrc.ac.uk/news/clinical-success-for-research-programme-which-started-at-nimr/
	Since Professor Raisman left the NIMR the Medical Research Council (MRC) has been involved in guiding the clinical translation of this work, however the MRC is not currently supporting his research.
	The MRC always welcomes high quality applications for support into any aspect of human health. These are judged in open competition with other demands on funding and awards are made according to their scientific quality and importance to human health. When appropriate, high quality research in particular areas of strategic importance may be given priority in competition for funds, but research excellence and importance to health continue to be the primary considerations in funding decisions.
	The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) funds eleven biomedical research centres that conduct translational research to transform scientific breakthroughs into benefits for patients. These centres are formed through partnerships between England’s leading National Health Service organisations and universities. The NIHR is investing £110 million over five years (2012-17) in the NIHR biomedical research centre at University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and University College London. The centre is supporting research on the use of cells from the lining of the nose to repair damaged nerves in the spinal cord.

State Retirement Pensions

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will take action to ensure that the state pension is treated as a contributory pension and not a welfare benefit.

Lord Freud: The state pension is based on the National Insurance contributions a person has paid or been credited with and it is paid out of the National Insurance Fund. The state pension is technically and legally a benefit and has been so since the 1946 National Insurance Act. The Government does not include the state pension in the Welfare Cap.

Sudan

Lord Avebury: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the government of Sudan's policy in respect of arming rebels in South Sudan, supporting armed jihadists in Africa and the Middle East, and destroying crops in South Kordofan.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We are deeply concerned at reports of government aerial bombardments targeting civilian farms and agricultural production in South Kordofan and frequently raise our concerns about the ongoing conflict in the Two Areas directly with the Government of Sudan and through multilateral forums such as the UN Security Council discussions. In respect of South Sudan the UK has been at the forefront of an effective EU arms embargo aimed at stopping the proliferation of arms across the region. The UK continues to work with partners to enforce this embargo. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has not seen evidence of the Government of Sudan violent Islamist extremist groups, but we maintain dialogue with the Government of Sudan on wider radicalisation concerns in Sudan and the region.

Sudan

Baroness Cox: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the recent Conference on Human Trafficking and Smuggling in the Horn of Africa held in Khartoum, what representations they have made to the government of Sudan concerning reports of complicity by Sudanese government security officials in the abduction of refugees from Eritrea to Sinai.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Officials from our Embassy in Khartoum raised the allegations of Sudanese government officials involvement in the abduction of Eritrean refugees with senior representatives from the Government of Sudan in early November. This was part of follow-up to the recent African Union (AU)
	Conference on Human Trafficking and Smuggling in the Horn of Africa, held in Khartoum, at which a new AU-EU regional process (the ‘Khartoum Process’) was proposed. Officials from the Home Office and Foreign and Commonwealth Office attended the Conference. The 'Khartoum Process' will help us to maintain an ongoing dialogue with the Government of Sudan on migration issues.

Sugar

Lord Mawhinney: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 11 August (HL1282), whether they consider that supermarkets currently offer sufficient levels of sugar-free and sugar-reduced items; what impact they consider an increase in the availability of such items would have on obesity levels in the United Kingdom; whether they have any plans to intervene more strongly than the current voluntary arrangements in order to increase the availability of such items; and if not, why not.

Earl Howe: Through the Government’s voluntary partnership with industry, eight supermarket chains are currently signed up to the calorie reduction pledge and are taking actions to enable their customers to consume fewer calories. Five of these supermarkets are taking direct action to either cut sugar or provide sugar-free or sugar-reduced products.
	Ten supermarket chains have committed to provide clear information on the front of food and drink products, including sugar content.
	The Government is committed to reducing overweight and obesity through a range of actions involving consumers and a wide range of stakeholders. The role of industry in continuing to reduce calories, including sugar, through the voluntary partnership is a key component of the Government’s approach.
	The final report of the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition on Carbohydrates and Health and Public Health England evidence and advice on sugar reduction, both due in Spring 2015, will inform the Government’s next steps.

Taxation

Lord Beecham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the justification for aggregating a range of welfare benefits in the annual tax statements now being published rather than differentiating between different categories.

Lord Deighton: The categories in the tax summary are based on those used in the Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses (PESA), which are internationally
	recognised categories. Based on customer research, some headings have been simplified to make them easier to understand, such as the inclusion of social protection in welfare. ‘State pensions’ was separated from the ‘welfare’ category because it is a substantial area of spend.

Ukraine: Russia

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the suggestion by the government of Russia that the European Union act as guarantor in respect of money owed by Ukraine to Russia for gas supplies; and whether any consideration has been given to how such a scheme would be funded.

Lord Deighton: Ukraine and Russia agreed a deal regarding the supply of gas on 30 October 2014 under which Ukraine will reprioritise funding to which it already has access under its IMF-led programme. The EU is not acting as guarantor to this deal.

Universal Credit

Lord Kirkwood of Kirkhope: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have considered including school holiday provision in passported benefits to be included in Universal Credit.

Lord Nash: The Child Poverty Strategy, published in June 2014, outlined the Government’s actions to tackle child poverty and improve the living standards of poor children.[1]
	We have not considered including school holiday provision in passported benefits to be included in Universal Credit.
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/child-poverty-strategy-2014-to-2017

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have a policy on the use of lethal autonomous weapons systems and a definition of meaningful human involvement in drone operations.

Lord Astor of Hever: Yes, the Government does have a clear policy on this and I refer the noble Lord to the statement made in the House of Commons by my hon. Friend the then Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Alistair Burt) on 17 June 2013 (Official Report, column 734) on the subject of autonomous weapons.
	The phrase meaningful human control is an emergent concept which the UK is mindful of and working to define with interested parties in step with technological and doctrinal developments. However, in practical terms, in UK operations every target is assessed by a human, and every release of weapons is authorised by a human; other than in a very small number of instances, all targets are also acquired by a human. The exception is in a small number of defensive anti-materiel systems e.g. Phalanx. However, in those instances a human is required to authorise weapons release.

World War I: Debts

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what effect the debt payable to the government of the United States as a result of the First World War has on their foreign policy.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: There has been no effect on the UK's foreign policy agenda as a result of the debt owed to the Government of the United States deriving from the First World War.